Cape Flattery Elopement

Everything about this Cape Flattery elopement was unique to this couple–black wedding dress, a dog wedding party, an October elopement on the Olympic Peninsula–Kylie and Trevor like to do things their own way. This Washington wedding sums up why I like to photograph elopements–when a couple has the chance to get married THEIR way, it’s a lot of fun! If you keep scrolling, you’ll see images of a gorgeous seaside ceremony location, handmade wedding collars on two adorable pups, a hand painted wedding jacket, portraits of a lovely couple in a beautiful Pacific Northwest location & advice for planning your own elopement in the PNW!

↓ Keep reading for beautiful photos of October in the PNW ↓

Wedding Ceremony at Cape Flattery

The weekend of Kylie & Trevor’s Cape Flattery elopement was stereotypical PNW–a lot of rain! In fact, the morning of their elopement was bucketing rain SO HARD that when Kylie’s mom stepped outside to grab something from her car, and was gone a total of 30 seconds, she came back completely soaked! This day redefined “soaking wet” for all of us, and we were beginning to wonder what we would do for the ceremony if things didn’t change…

Then, about 20 minutes before our planned departure to the trailhead, the clouds broke! What began as the gloomiest day began turning into a gorgeous sunny afternoon–just in time.

Kylie, Trevor, their two dogs & eight guests carpooled to the Cape Flattery trailhead. The short hike to the overlook is in Neah Bay, Washington on the Makah Reservation. Dogs are allowed, on leash, and the view is incredible! Cape Flattery marks the northernmost point in the contiguous United States–from the platform overlook, you can see Canada!

Kylie & Trevor’s elopement ceremony was short and sweet–they stepped aside to share private vows while their family members began tearing up at the sight! After their ceremony, we went on to explore the coastline and forest, while their family members returned to the cabin they rented to prepare an evening reception.

Their luck held out, and it didn’t begin to rain again until the sun had set.

Those “Just Married” Feelings

Kylie & Trevor, along with their dogs Dobby & Frank, are true PNW natives–he grew up on the Olympic Peninsula and she spent many of her younger years around the Seattle area. However, it wasn’t until they both moved to Bellingham for college that they met.

Embracing their PNW roots, they got married in Neah Bay during the rainy season–October on the Olympic Peninsula rarely has sunny days, but these two didn’t mind! The moody darker skies and colorful leaves in a thick forest are the exact environment they feel most at home. While Dillen and I lived in the PNW for a bit–I also went to college in Bellingham–we embrace the sunshine of our home in New Mexico! While I don’t fully understand it, witnessing these two embrace the weather uncertainties and general PNW-vibes of their wedding weekend gave me a glimpse into what is to love dearly about this rainy place. They were all smiles and excitement, the whole time!

Forest Wedding Portraits

October in the Pacific Northwest

When Kylie first called me up and said they wanted to plan a Cape Flattery elopement in October, I looked around at my camera gear and mourned the soggy wet I figured we would be shooting in. But, somehow, these two managed to get married during the single sunny afternoon that week! The forests were thick with moss and glistening with a layer of permanent moisture that never seems to change, whether it’s actively raining or not. The wooden pathways saved us all from many muddy falls, and the whole vibe was perfectly Pacific Northwest. Kylie & Trevor were thriving amongst the tall green grasses and hills of ferns covering these seaside cliffs. As much as I’m prone to complain about a rainy day and yearn for sun when there is none, this particular day at Cape Flattery showcased the true beauty of Washington.

After their ceremony, Kylie & Trevor stepped into the forest for some portraits and a moment to just relish the fact they just got MARRIED! We all explored the routes of criss-crossing wooden pathways around stunning old growth forest. The leafy hillsides are a bit different from other Washington forests because the seaside creates a kind of coastal environment–not coastal in the way you’d imagine most beaches, but coastal in a PNW fern-covered forest sort of way. The light coming through the trees created a fairytale-like environment that was just so incredibly beautiful!

From the couple:

“Jenn and Dillen are incredible photographers! Not only are they extremely talented at getting the perfect shot they know how to make the shoot comfortable and fun:) I hate having my pictures taken but they were able to get me to relax during my engagement shoot and captured gorgeous pictures that I will cherish forever! Can’t recommend them enough!”

Sunset Walk on the Beach

Every little detail of this elopement was beautiful and personalized–Kylie’s vegan leather jacket that read “it was always you,” had been hand painted by her in the weeks leading up to their wedding. The “we eloped” sign that they hiked around with was a gorgeous momento that now hangs up in their house north of Bellingham.

After exploring the forests, with a thick wall of clouds returning to threaten rain, we headed down to the beach by their rental cabin for a few more portraits IF the sunset chose to appear.

We got lucky with a few more moments without rain as the sun peeked through the impending wall of cloud. These last few portraits of Kylie & Trevor standing beneath their umbrella on the shore of a place they love so much–it was the perfect way to end a perfect day.

Ready to plan your own elopement?

Whether it’s Cape Flattery, or anywhere else in the world, we’re here to help! Check out our current travel schedule to see when we’ll be in your area, or get your dream wedding location on our calendar–let’s plan this thing!